One more thing.
One of my employees and his friends were given NTD 1000,- each for paticipating in the demonstration. No wonder it was a lot of people there.
Yeah, that’s the true spirit of democracy.
First, sounds doubtful to me. Do you know this for certain?
Second, those who turn in people trying to buy votes are eligible for rewards of up to several million NT dollars. Are your employees scared of coming forward or…
Third, your employees are corrupt and I wonder why you would retain them.
In Chiayi it was said to be 300, looks like we are worth less… 
However, the two of whom I heard only did it for the money, they still vote green…
This isn’t an uncommon practice in Taiwan… I know some Taiwanese college students (then) who participated in rallys for CSB back in the first campaign… they did so for NT$ 500 and a biandang.
The only cases of this I can recall happened about 10 years ago, when the KMT-run government wanted to shut down some radio stations popular with taxi drivers.[/quote]
I remember that. I also remember that big DPP demonstration on Chunghsiao W. Rd. in front of the train station in '91. At the time, they were protesting for direct election of the president. I had gone up to that area to get my visa renewed, and was shocked to see what looked like thousands of people, the whole area cordoned off with razor wire, and police everywhere but not doing anything. At first, there was no mention of it on the news (three stations). A few days later, the crowd was still there, and the news reported that “about a hundred” DPP supporters had taken the whole area hostage - the police waited a few more days before dispersing those remaining with water cannons in the middle of the night. All that for the idea of direct elections…
As for vote/support-buying, pretty much everyone was doing it - all camps and persuasions. Not sure who to believe, though, since I’ve met DPP supporters who claim they were paid to attend KMT events and vice versa (I can take a stab at which party had more money, though). Anyway, later on, instead of cash, we had that tour bus take-you-on-a-free-trip thing (kinda like govenment agencies declining cash payoffs, but accepting “gifts”). While the bribe bit no doubt still goes on (just follow the police to the pubs), it seems that in political circles these days a lot more money is being funnelled into advertising…
Speaking of which, I once asked a woman who said she got NT500 for her vote if she really did vote for the person in question. She said “Of course.” I asked if she’d consider not really voting for the person. She said “No.” I asked why and she said “Because they’d know. I know someone who did that, and they knew.” I didn’t ask for details. Anyone hear anything more about this concern that voters might use their cell phone camera function to prove who they voted for before collecting?
First, sounds doubtful to me. Do you know this for certain?
Second, those who turn in people trying to buy votes are eligible for rewards of up to several million NT dollars. Are your employees scared of coming forward or…
Third, your employees are corrupt and I wonder why you would retain them.[/quote]
First: He bragged about it in the lunch break, so everyone could hear. Maybe he was lying, but who am I to judge. 
Second: I guess it still would be word against word, and I have the impression that he actually support the blue camp. :fume:
Third: Even corrupt people deserve a job, even if it is a minimum pay assembly line job - as it is in this case. But myabe I should fire him for supporting the Blue Camp… :bluemad:
Fourth: My mother in law was ridiculed by her neighbor for not attending the demonstration and collecting…yes, you guessed right NTD 1000,- 
(my mil told my wife, so it is probably only hear-say… 
)